The Johannesburg Expo Centre (JEC) in Nasrec is adding a film lot called Studio Joburg as a film and television content creation hub.
"We believe that this new development will provide a top class facility for the production of content within the film industry," says Craig Newman, JEC CEO.
"It will also be an important development for the people of Soweto and the surrounding areas in terms of job creation and skills development."
Discussions are currently taking place with a film school and broadcaster that could become anchor tenants at the Studio Joburg facility.
The multipurpose facilities of the JEC where the Neill Blomkamp film District 9 was filmed, provide more than 50 000m2 of indoor space, more than 100 000 m2 of versatile outdoor space as well as a multipurpose arena that can accommodate up to 20 000 people.
Eddie Mbalo, a former CEO of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and former CEO of pay-TV operator On Digital Media (ODM) running StarSat, is part of the Studio Joburg endeavour.
"The Expo Centre is the ideal location for an undertaking of this nature," says Eddie Mbalo. "We believe that Studio Joburg will become an important content and entertainment hub for the Gauteng province."
